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The present invention relates generally to optical fiber cable storage and management apparatus, and more specifically to fiber cable storage and management apparatus that can be easily integrated with station equipment of a computer or telecommunications network.
In recent years, the use of optical fiber cables for providing Internet, voice, and data services has been rapidly increasing. In general, an optical fiber cable includes a plurality of optical fibers. To deliver such multi-fiber cables to station equipment (e.g., multiplexors, data terminals, computers, etc.) installed at central offices or business/residential premises in a computer or telecommunications network, fiber storage and management devices are often used to provide connection points for a number of the optical fibers. Traditional fiber storage and management devices are typically discrete modules that are frequently made of plastic. Each module typically includes a spool around which fiber loops can be wrapped in a circular fashion. Such fiber storage and management devices not only provide storage for fiber splices and slack, but also provide strain relief, dust-proofing, and protection for the optical fibers.
One drawback of traditional fiber storage and management devices is that they are discrete and therefore easily lost or misplaced. Further, such devices are usually not easily incorporated into the different types of station equipment coupled to a computer or telecommunications network. Still further, those fiber storage and management devices that can be incorporated into station equipment often require a significant amount of space to enable a technician to access the optical fibers stored therein. Yet further, the overall size of the station equipment generally increases with the space requirements of the fiber storage and management devices.
It would therefore be desirable to have a fiber cable storage and management apparatus that can be easily integrated with station equipment of a computer or telecommunications network. Such a fiber cable storage and management apparatus would have minimum space requirements so as to reduce the overall size of the station equipment.
In accordance with the present invention, a fiber cable storage and management apparatus is provided that includes front and rear sections interconnected by a hinge. The front section is configured to hold a length of fiber cable, and both the front and rear sections are slidingly mountable to an electronic chassis. The front section of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus can be alternately retracted out of and inserted into the housing of the electronic chassis. When the front section is retracted out of the electronic chassis housing, the hinge can pivot between a first position in which the front and rear sections of the apparatus are substantially coplanar and a second position in which the front section is rotated below the plane of the rear section. By sliding the front section of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus out of the electronic chassis housing and then rotating the front section downward, easy access is provided to the fiber cable stored on the front section.
In one embodiment, a cable storage apparatus includes a first portion including a first section, a second section, and a hinge interconnecting the first and second sections, the first section being configured to hold a length of cable; and, a second portion for supporting the first portion, the second portion being adapted to slidingly receive the first portion and retain the first portion with the first and second sections in a generally coplanar relationship when supported by the second portion.
Other features, functions, and aspects of the fiber cable storage and management apparatus will be evident from the Detailed Description of the Invention that follows.